Why parents are raising their kids on Minecraft

Minecraft offers Microsoft a platform with strong elements of social and mobile usage, two areas where they have struggled so far. But perhaps most importantly, Minecraft gives Microsoft an intergenerational success story that few other games or services can replicate.

The Verge spoke with dozens of parents who see Minecraft not only as an incredible tool for bonding with their children, but a gateway to education in computer science that could restore some appeal to the Microsoft brand for the next generation. In Minecraft, users move around a virtual world, harvesting resources like wood, gold, and iron ore that they can use to build whatever they like. Everything is made of textured 3D cubes. The graphics are extremely low-fi. There are bad guys to watch out for and defeat, and technically a dragon you can slay to beat the game, but what has captivated millions is the total freedom Minecraft offers to wander around and build, often collaboratively, a huge world of you own.